History

Danny Ainge - President of Basketball Operations

Danny Ainge is the Celtics President of Basketball Operations. He was named to the position on May 9, 2003.

During his 14-year playing career, Ainge won two World Championships with Boston (1984, 1986) and appeared in six NBA Finals (four with Boston). He finished his career third in NBA playoff history for games played (193) and sixth in most three-pointers made (172). He also finished eighth in three-pointers attempted (433). Upon his retirement, Ainge was one of three players in NBA history to make 1,000 or more career three-pointers (1,002), along with Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller.

Following his playing career, Ainge joined TNT as a color analyst for the 1995-96 season before returning to the court with the Phoenix Suns as an Assistant Coach prior to the 1996-97 season. Just eight games into the season he was promoted to Head Coach and guided this club to a 40-34 record after the team started the season 0-8. He spent the next two-plus seasons as Head Coach of the Suns and compiled a 136-90 (.602) record before stepping down on December 13, 1999 and returning to TNT as an analyst. In his three-plus seasons as the Suns coach, he guided Phoenix to three playoff berths.

Ainge enjoyed a storybook collegiate career at Brigham Young University from 1977-1981. He won the 1981 John Wooden and Eastman Awards as the nation’s best college basketball player following his senior season, when he averaged 24.4 points per game. At North Eugene (Ore.) High School, Ainge was an All-American in basketball, football and baseball. Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1977 free agent draft (15th round), he played three seasons of Major League Baseball while still attending BYU. Ainge was inducted into Oregon State Sports Hall of Fame in August 1999 and was the first player in BYU history to have his jersey number (#22) retired.

In January, 2006, Ainge received the NCAA’s Silver Anniversary Award, an award that recognizes former student-athletes who completed their successful collegiate career and then went on to excel in their chosen profession.

For his shrewd off-season acquisitions that led the Celtics to their NBA record 17th Championship, Ainge was named as The Sporting News 2008 NBA Executive of the Year.